Re-imagining your home for the next chapter

O’Connell advocates for what she describes as “decluttering with purpose”. That means focussing on the items you truly use and love, then making a fun project of donating and selling the rest. By decluttering with purpose — rather than just haphazardly heaping items into a bin bag — “you’re not just throwing it away, you’re actually passing it on to someone else who could use it better than you can”.

If you’re thinking about rightsizing your home for somewhere easier to look after, you should also consider where that next home is located — because easy access to services like health care, transport, walkable environments and community centres or programs can make all the difference as you age.

Future-proofing your home for the years to come

Rightsizing can be a great opportunity to ensure our homes are as accessible as possible for the decades to come. And future-proofing your home “doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to mean renovations”, says O’Connell.

There are many minor adjustments you can make to help you stay independent and at home for longer. These include replacing doorknobs, which due to conditions such as arthritis, may become difficult to turn as you age, with simple levers. Door hinges can be offset so you can widen the doorway for future accessibility needs if required. And adding grab rails to toilets and showers can help you move around the bathroom with confidence.

Brighter lighting, especially in stairways and hallways, can increase visibility and reduce fall risk, as can adding contrasting colours on the edges of steps. You might also consider installing smart-home technology that offers features like voice-activated assistance to control lights, video doorbells and alarms.

Again, it’s never too early to start on these changes.

“I do think starting early and making changes gradually makes it more affordable,” says O’Connell. “And small changes now can equal more autonomy later.”

Bonus tips for setting yourself up for healthy ageing

Here’s a statistic that might surprise you: “Only around 25 per cent of age-related decline is genetic,” says O’Connell. “So, what that means is that we can do an awful lot to help ourselves live well now and into our later years.”

In her work with LiveUp, a national platform designed to help older Australians stay well as they age, O’Connell uses healthy ageing principles set out by the World Health Organization.

That includes encouraging simple but effective steps like getting physically active and eating well, staying socially connected, joining clubs, volunteering, learning new skills to keep the brain sharp, as well as getting regular health checks to catch any small issues before they become big ones.

O’Connell believes that both in and outside of the home, with a little forward planning, you can set yourself up to be able to do what you both need and want to be able to do in the future.

Ready to take the next step in reimagining your home and life? Visit liveup.org.au to explore more resources and support for healthy ageing.